Improvement in metallic cartridges



U NITnn STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

BETHEII BURTON, OF BROOKLYN, 4NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO W. G. BURTON,

- l OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC CARTRIDGES.

Specification forming pari of Letters Patent No. 136,130, dated February25, 1873.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, BETHEL BURTON, of the city of Brooklyn, in thecounty of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Cartridge-Shells; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction andoperation ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed specificationand to the tigures and letters of reference marked thereon, and inwhich- Figure I is a view of my cartridge prepared for use. Fig. II is aView of the shell as it appears, when drawn, before cut to length oreannelured. Fig. III is a section of the shell charged and primed withthe bullet-in its place. t

As cartridges are now generally made from sheet metal, with a projectingange and iiat base, powerful machinery is required to upset and form thehead, and, at the saine time, the ber of the metal, which runs in ageneral longitudinal direction ofthe case, is either obliterated orbroken, and thereby weakened just at the fold of the flange, and wherethe greatest strength is required, as that is the only part of acartridge which is wholly unsupported by the walls or breech ot' a gunwhen the same is in place. The projecting ange is also an objection whenthe cartridge is to be used in a magazine-gun, as it requires a tube ofa diameter greater than that of the greatest diameter of the cartridge;and, beside that, the cartridges do not lie in a true line with eachother, and have a tendency to rattle in the tube. rIhe square end isobjected to on the ground that if, by chance, there be 'a cartridgeslightly shorter than the proper length it allows the next to projectinto the carrierguide and over the carrier, and its square head preventsthe carrie-r from moving up as required, when a round-headed cartridgewould be pushed back into the magazine and the carrier operate equallyas well.

The object of my invention is to obviate the above defects anddiiculties; and to this end it consist-s in a cartridge drawn from asingle piece of sheet metal having the bers of the metal in a generallongitudinal direction, gradually bent at and forming a rounded orspherical base, so that the ber is neither broken or destroyed, andhaving a cannelure cut or made just in front of the rounded base for theextractor to catch behind to withdraw it from a breech-loading gun, andhaving a shoulder produced by the usual Decking, which limits the extentto which it can be inserted into the gun.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, a is the shell; b, the bullet; c,the cannelure; d, the base or dome of the, cartridge; and c the primer.

The shell, as represented in Fig. II, is drawn from a blank in the usualway. It is then placed on a spindle revolving rapidly. On the samemachine there are two cutters which move simultaneously, one of whichcuts oit the cartridge to length and the other cuts the cannelure theform required. When done the `.cutters withdraw and the shell is thrownoit' the spindle.

This operation is repeated as rapidly as one person can place thecartridges on the spindle; or they may be fed to the spindle from ahopper; Whereas in makingeartridges with a head or iiange severalmachines are necessary to accomplish what I do with one.

The cartridge may be primed in the manner seen in Fig. III, or in anyother desirable way.

By forming the base of the cartridge to that of a hemisphere I overcomethe diiiiculty experienced with cartridges having a rim or tlat base..

In the manufacture of these fiat-based cartridges the greatest care isnecessary to insure their being of equal length. Otherwise, when used ina magazine-gun, should one be too short, it allowsthe followingcartridge protrude from the magazine and prevent the carrier fromraising by reason of the at base. With the dome-shaped base of mycartridge, however, should it protrude by reason of a short cartridge,the carrier, in comin g up, slides up along the are, shoving back thecartridge into the magazine.

I do not conne Amyself to the particular shape of a hemisphere, or evento the frustum rier to rise.

of a cone, vvhich would answer as well, nt to ually bent and rounded atthe base, andh'av. such curve-shaped endI as will allow the caring acannelure and shoulder, substantially as rior to slide along the arc andcause the oar-l and for the purposes set forth. 1

I claim as my inventione The improved cartridgewase herein de.Witnesses:

scribed, drawn from sheet metal having its E. W. OLARKSON,

bers in 'a general longitudinal direction, grad- I. MURPHY.

BETHEL BURToN.-

